Millikan High School boys basketball transfers filling the void left by Malik Marquetti

So what’s basketball life like at Millikan High School after Malik Marquetti? That’s the question boys coach Chris Francis is trying to answer this summer.

At the Buzz Elite Varsity Sports Spectacular tournament at Cerritos College, Francis offered a straight take following the Rams’ win over Morningside to finish 3-0 in pool play.

“You can’t replace a Malik Marquetti, so we make kids just buy into our system,” Francis said.

Marquetti, who is preparing for his freshman year at USC, led Millikan in scoring (22.8 points per game), rebounds (11.5), steals (2.5) and blocks (2.0) last season.

Without him, the Rams have reloaded with five transfers. Leading the way are juniors Chris Barnes, who won a state championship at Bishop Montgomery, and Mason Dickerson from Long Beach Wilson.

Francis said it’s a matter of just seeing who shows up and preparing them for a season that will include stops at the Ocean View and La Salle tournaments.

“We’re just coaching them up and helping them get fundamentally sound and play our up-tempo style,” he said.

Millikan, along with Jordan and Lynwood, played Wednesday night in quarterfinal action. The winners will reach today’s semifinals, which begin at 6 p.m., with the championship game at 8:20 p.m.

Long Beach Poly finished 2-1 in pool play and will play Centennial today at 3:40 p.m. Gahr, also 2-1, will play Pioneer at 7:10 p.m.

Bellflower was not in action, but new coach Chris Childress was in attendance on the sidelines. Childress, a Mayfair graduate and younger brother of the NBA’s Josh Childress, said he was eager to change the tradition at a program not known for winning.

“I saw the talent there and just wanted to help them reach their potential. We just have to get out of a losing mentality and once we do that, we’ll be fine,” Childress said.

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UPDATE: Despite a strong field of teams, today’s championship games of the Buzz Elite Varsity Sports Spectacular feature surprises as both Rancho Dominguez and Lynwood reached the semifinals.

Rancho Dominguez will face Foothill and Lynwood, who defeated Serra, will face Maranatha Prep at Cerritos College. Both games will be at 6 p.m. and the championship will be at 8:20 p.m.

Lynwood was scheduled to face Bishop Montgomery, but due to a scheduling conflict, Maranatha took their spot.

Several other area teams will be in action on the three-court showcase. Poly will face Compton Centennial at 3:40 p.m. while Gahr plays Pioneer at 7:10 p.m. Also at 8:20, Millikan will take on Claremont while Jordan faces Serra.